Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
one-drink minimum. It's also the place to catch the only drag show in the Castro,
The Monster Show,
usually held the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
During the day, Harvey's is popular for bistro-style food, particularly weekend
brunch (about $10/plate), and for wide windows where patrons can watch the
denizens of the Castro pass by.
Midnight Sun
(4067 18th St., btw. Hartford and Castro;
%
415/861-4186)
is
a video bar, meaning that, when it isn't showing Madonna, it's projecting the big
TV shows for crowds at night. If your hotel-room TV isn't showing
Project
Runway,
you can join the audience here.
Mix
(4086 18th St.;
%
415/431-8616; www.sfmixbar.com)
proves that gay
bars have evolved quite a bit; this one is a no-attitude sports bar that packs the
fans for football, hockey, and other sports events. The chummy patio grill is open
weekends, when the indoor bar with pool tables also opens at 6am.
Moby Dick
(4049 18th St., at Hartford; no phone; www.mobydicksf.com),
dat-
ing to 1978, is the quintessential friendly neighborhood bar: not sleazy (despite
the name), with pinball machines and plenty of places to sit and lean and raise a
pint. The drink specials, available daily, can be incredibly cheap.
Twin Peaks
(401 Castro St., at Market;
%
415/864-9470; www.twinpeaks
tavern.com)
will give you a taste of the Castro of old; clients are generally long-
term residents of a certain age who have survived it all. They watch the street life
along Market from this corner pub's windows.
SOMA
The Eagle Tavern
(398 12th St., at Harrison;
%
415/626-0880; www.sfeagle.com),
in SoMa, is a sleazy biker bar—one of the last of its kind in America, and a gay SF
institution. The rough junk-shop interior scares off the folks who couldn't handle
it anyway. In truth, the guys look tough, but because there aren't many actual gay
biker gangs, you'll find them to be mostly teddy bears looking for release. Thursday
nights, bands perform, and at the Sunday beer bust, $10 buys you all the beer you
can drink and all the sex-minded freaks you can stare at. The back patio is one of
the most fascinating places to drink in town. You may see things here that you can't
shake from your memory—at the least, stuff your mama never even thought to
warn you about. For a smaller, more homey gay biker bar (if that's possible), head
over to
Hole in the Wall Saloon
(289 8th St., at Tehama;
%
415/431-4695; www.
holeinthewallsaloon.com),
also in SoMa.
The Endup
(401 6th St., at Harrison;
%
415/357-0827; www.theendup.com)
is so named, in part (wink, wink) because it's where you “end up” after the other
bars close; here, the DJs and their house music are plugged in until 4am to 6am.
It's not cheap (after midnight, cover can fly to $15-$20) or very cheerful (most
of the patrons seem high), but this dance party is quite literally storied in the local
gay world; in the
Tales of the City
books, it's where Michael Tolliver wins an under-
wear contest and repels his boyfriend in the process. That can be you!
Lone Star Saloon
(1354 Harrison St., between 9th and 10th;
%
415/863-9999;
www.lonestarsaloon.com),
in SoMa, is famous for its strong drinks and its huge
barrel of peanuts that drinkers can dip into anytime. That, and for a shirtless, hairy,
tattooed patronage that is known in gay parlance as “bears.” If you're a bear, an otter,
or a cub, don't go to the zoo—come here instead, where anything goes among your
type. The crowd is friendlier than you might guess.
